9 Best Sights in The Romantic Road, Germany

One of the best-preserved late-Gothic castles in Germany, Hohes Schloss (High Castle) was built on the site of the Roman fortress that once guarded this Alpine section of the Via Claudia, the trade route from Rome to the Danube. Evidence of Roman occupation of the area has been uncovered at the foot of the nearby Tegelberg Mountain, and the excavations next to the Tegelberg cable-car station are open for visits daily. The Hohes Schloss was the seat of Bavarian rulers before Emperor Heinrich VII mortgaged it and the rest of the town to the bishop of Augsburg for 400 pieces of silver. The mortgage was never redeemed, and Füssen remained the property of the Augsburg episcopate until secularization in the early 19th century. The bishops of Augsburg used the castle as their summer Alpine residence. It has a spectacular 16th-century Rittersaal (Knights' Hall) with a carved ceiling, and a princes' chamber with a Gothic tile stove.

Würzburg's prince-bishops lived in this glorious baroque palace after moving down from the hilltop Festung Marienberg. Construction started in 1719 under the brilliant direction of Balthasar Neumann. Most of the interior decoration was entrusted to the Italian stuccoist Antonio Bossi and the Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It's the spirit of the pleasure-loving Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn, however, that infuses the Residenz. Now considered one of Europe's most sumptuous palaces, this dazzling structure is a 10-minute walk from the train station, along pedestrian-only Kaiserstrasse and then Theaterstrasse.

Tours start in the Vestibule, which was built to accommodate carriages drawn by six horses. The king's guests were swept directly up the Treppenhaus, the largest baroque staircase in the country. Halfway up, the stairway splits and peels away 180 degrees to the left and to the right. Soaring above on the vaulting is Tiepolo's giant fresco The Four Continents, a gorgeous exercise in blue and pink that's larger than the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. Each quarter of the massive fresco depicts the European outlook on the world in 1750—the savage Americas; Africa and its many unusual creatures; cultured Asia, where learning and knowledge originated; and finally the perfection of Europe, with Würzburg as the center of the universe. Take a careful look at the Asian elephant's trunk and find the ostrich in Africa. Tiepolo had never seen these creatures but painted on reports of them; he could only assume that the fastest and largest bird in the world would have big muscular legs. He immortalized himself and Balthasar Neumann as two of the figures—they're not too difficult to spot.

Next, make your way to the Weissersaal (White Room) and then beyond to the grandest of the state rooms, the Kaisersaal (Throne Room). Tiepolo's frescoes show the 12th-century visit of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, when he came to Würzburg to claim his bride. If you take part in the guided tour, you'll also see private chambers of the various former residents (guided tours in English are given daily at 11 and 3). The Spiegelkabinett (Mirror Cabinet) was completely destroyed by Allied bombing but then reconstructed using the techniques of the original rococo artisans.

Finally, visit the expansive formal Hofgarten (Court Gardens), to see its stately gushing fountains and trim ankle-high shrubs that outline geometric flowerbeds and gravel walks.

On weekends, the Hofkeller wine cellar, below the Residenz, runs tours that include wine tasting. Ask at the ticket counter.

At the point where the little Wörnitz River breaks through the Franconian Jura Mountains, 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Nördlingen, you'll find one of southern Germany's best-preserved medieval castles. Schloss Harburg was already old when it passed into the possession of the count of Oettingen-Wallerstein in 1295; before that time it belonged to the Hohenstaufen emperors. The same family still owns the castle. The castle is on B-25, which runs under it through a tunnel in the rock.

Built by the knights of Schwangau in the 12th century, this castle was later updated by the Bavarian crown prince Maximilian, father of King Ludwig II, between 1832 and 1836. Unlike Ludwig's more famous castle across the valley, Neuschwanstein, the mustard-yellow Schloss Hohenschwangau actually feels like a noble home, where comforts would be valued as much as outward splendor. Ludwig spent his childhood summers surrounded by the castle's murals, depicting ancient Germanic legends, including those that inspired the composer Richard Wagner in his Ring cycle of operas. The paintings remain untouched in the dining room, as does the Women's Floor, which looks just as it did at the death of Ludwig's mother, Marie, in 1889.

You can walk up either of two clearly marked paths to the castle or the trip can be done in a small horse-drawn carriage (€4.50 uphill, €2 downhill).

Bavaria's Fairy-Tale King, Ludwig II, commissioned a stage designer in 1868 to create this over-the-top architectural masterpiece high atop Swan's Rock and overlooking the peaceful waters of the Alpsee lake. Just a stone's throw from his childhood summer home of Hohenschwangau, the five-story castle was to pay tribute to the operas of Richard Wagner, for whom Ludwig was a great patron. While the exterior was constructed in Romanesque style and modeled on the Wartburg castle, the interior contains numerous murals alluding to sagas and legends, such as that of Siegfried forging the mighty sword in the entrance to the Royal Apartments and the so-called "Swan's Corner," a living room dedicated to the Swan Knight Lohengrin. King Ludwig's untimely death at the age of 40 under suspicious circumstances put an end to the 17-year-long process of construction of the castle. Despite being incomplete—the extravagant Throne Room, for example, contains no throne—the castle became—and remains—one of Germany's top tourist destinations after Walt Disney used it as inspiration for his castle in the movie Sleeping Beauty and later for the Disneyland castle itself.

The castle is not easy to reach as it requires a 45-minute steep uphill walk of 1½ km (1 mile) to its entrance. Alternatively, to reach Neuschwanstein from the ticket center, take one of the horse-drawn carriages that leave from Hotel Müller next door (uphill €7, downhill €3.50). A shuttle bus leaves from the center of town (uphill €2.50, downhill €1.50) and takes you halfway up the hill past an outlook called Aussichtspunkt Jugend to a spot just above the castle. Even with these added means of transportation, there is a steep walk the last 500 yards; strollers and wheelchairs cannot be used due to stairs inside the castle itself. Tickets need to be purchased at the ticket center in the village of Hohenschwangau, so be sure to stop there first, and reserve an entry time online in advance at  www.hohenschwangau.de. You'll still have to arrive at least one hour early to pick up your tickets but without a reservation you might wait for hours to get a tour spot. There are also some spectacular walks around the castle. The delicate Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) is spun like a medieval maiden's hair across a deep, narrow gorge. From this vantage point there are giddy views of the castle and the great Upper Bavarian Plain beyond. Tours almost always sell out, so booking in advance is strongly recommended. Room-by-room renovations, which continued in 2022, will make some unviewable; check ahead if you want to see a particular room. Pöllatschlucht gorge hiking trails are also closed.

Visible from just about anywhere in town, this hilltop complex was the original home of the prince-bishops, beginning in the 13th century. The oldest buildings, including the Marienkirche (Church of the Virgin Mary) date from around AD 700, although excavations have disclosed evidence there was a settlement here in the Iron Age, approximately 1200 BC. In addition to the rough-hewn medieval fortifications, there are a number of Renaissance and baroque apartments. Tours in English, normally held on weekends, meet at the Museum Shop. To reach the Marienberg, make the fairly steep climb on foot through vineyards or take Bus 9, starting at the Residenz, with several stops in the city. It runs about every 40 minutes from April to October. The fortress is undergoing renovations through 2030, with a rolling schedule of closed sections. The fortress also houses two additional museums.

The Teutonic Knights' former castle, at the eastern end of the town, had its peak from 1527 to 1809, when the highly influential and resident Deutschmeister received guests, including the Kaiser, here. The powerful Hohenlohe family joined the Teutonic Order, founded in 1190, and gifted them this property in 1219. Although it lost its luster after the Napoleonic wars, the medieval castle has remarkable architectural features: originally, a moated castle, the building was expanded beginning in 1568 and converted to a palace. Baroque features, including an intricately carved wooden staircase, were added in the late 18th century. Post–World War II restoration work has converted the buildings into a museum that follows the history of the Teutonic Order. The castle also hosts classical concerts, lectures, and events for families and children.

This baroque castle of the Princes of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst is 20 km (12 miles) south of Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. Standing on an outcrop, it can be seen from miles away. You can watch eagles and falcons swoop down from high in the sky to catch their prey during one of the Bavarian falconry demonstrations held in the courtyard here, twice daily from April to October. Castle tour highlights include the Red Salon, named for its wall color and filled with Nymphenbeurg porcelain, and the Billiard Room, with a wood-carved table from 1700.

The first summer palace of the prince-bishops is 8 km (5 miles) north of Würzburg. Enlarged and renovated by Balthasar Neumann in 1753, the castle became a summer residence of the Bavarian kings in 1814. You reach the castle by walking down a long allée of trees on the extensive grounds. To your right are the "formal" rococo gardens, planned and laid out at the beginning of the 18th century. On the other side of the castle are the "utility" gardens, cared for by the Bavarian State College for Wines and Gardens. The college was founded here in 1902 as the Royal School for Gardening and Wine Culture. Walls, pavilions, a small lake teeming with fish, and gardens laden with fruit complete the picture of this huge park. From April to October fountains come to life every hour on the hour from 1 to 5. Inside the palace are the rooms of the Bavarian royal family, which can only be visited on the 30-minute guided tour, with a tour in German each hour. A bus service runs from Würzburg's Kirchplatz to the palace. From mid-April to mid-October there is also a boat operating between Würzburg and the palace (daily 10–4). The 40-minute trip costs €13 round-trip.